Rav Kook Torah

Elul: Teshuvah for the Generation of Rebirth

“For some time I have been struggling with an inner conflict, and
a mighty force impels me to speak about teshuvah [penitence].
All my thoughts are focused on this topic. Teshuvah holds a
primary place in Torah and in life. All the hopes of the
individual and of society depend on it.”

So begins Rav Kook’s introduction to OrotHaTeshuvah (Lights of
Penitence), perhaps his most popular work, first published in
1925. The compact book was beloved by its author, and Rav Kook
himself would study its teachings during the month of Elul after morning
prayers. One student reported hearing Rav Kook say, “I worked
extensively on OrotHaTeshuvah. Whoever studies it properly will
find light in every word.” He also declared: “Orot HaTeshuvah should be
be studied endlessly.”

What is so special about the book’s outlook on teshuvah?

Teshuvah — a Return to Life

OrotHaTeshuvah illuminates the concepts of sin, punishment, and penitence.
It explains that sin primarily harms the one who sinned, as it cuts him off from
the roots of his very being, from the light of his soul. This estrangement is
sin’s worst punishment. Teshuvah, on the other hand, redeems the sinner from
this darkness. It rejuvenates him, restoring his previous state of life and joy.

The word teshuvah literally means ‘return.’ It is not an escape from the world.
On the contrary, it is “precisely through genuine, pure teshuvah that we
return to the world and to life” (Orot HaTeshuvah 14:30).

Already in his introduction, Rav Kook described teshuvah as an underlying
force that influences all aspects of life, not only the realm of the
sacred: “Teshuvah holds a primary place in Torah and in life.” Thus one
who frees himself from unhealthy habits – this is also a type of teshuvah.
Additionally, Rav Kook posited that this powerful force is not limited to the
failings and triumphs of the individual. It also applies to failures and
successes of the nation and the entire universe: “All hopes of the
individual and society as a whole depend on it.”

National and Spiritual Revival

Rav Kook firmly believed that a secular national revival, the entire program of
rebuilding the Land and the nation, could not succeed without a parallel revival
in holiness, with lofty manifestations of this holiness expressed in both personal and public spheres.

But what path would lead the generation of rebirth to the gates of teshuvah? The
routine approach is doomed to failure. One cannot reach out to the idealistic youth
of such a generation, brimming with life, vigor, and creativity, with a severe demeanor
and punctilious demands of small, everyday deeds — demands that they consider to be a
sign of weakness and a feeble spirit.

No, the generation must be awakened via an optimistic spirit of greatness and courage.
“Teshuvah comes not to embitter life,” Rav Kook taught, “but to make it pleasant”
(ibid. 15:6). “Teshuvah is essentially a return to [our] origins, to the source of
supernal life and existence in their wholeness” (ibid. 12:8).

In an article printed in HaYesod in 1934, he explained:

“Teshuvah is the great key to redemption. Many things
inhibit teshuvah,
but the major obstacle, particularly to collective teshuvah, is the misconception
of teshuvah as atrophy of the soul, as the enfeebling and debilitation of life.
This false image also impairs the teshuvah of the individual. But more than anything,
it hinders collective teshuvah, the teshuvah of the nation.

“We must disclose the secret that the
genuine teshuvah of the entire nation of Israel is
a mighty, powerful vision that provides reserves of might and strength, imbuing all of our
spiritual and pragmatic values with a lofty spirit of vigorous, surging creative energy
from the power of the Rock of Israel. This living teshuvah flows not from isolated,
fragmented souls, but from the treasury of the nation’s collective
soul, KnessetYisrael .... In this way, the united soul of Israel is
prepared to return to its former strength, as in days of old.”